1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an electrosurgical forceps and more particularly, the present disclosure relates to electrosurgical forceps, which employ an end effector assembly configured for receiving a knife blade, or portion thereof, within a seal plate.
2. Description of Related Art
As is known in the art, bipolar forceps typically employ end effector assemblies that include one or more jaw members. Generally, the jaw members include a structural support member, an insulative member, and a thin seal plate. The structural support member and the thin seal each may include a slot adapted to receive a knife blade, or portion thereof.
The structural support and the thin seal plate of the jaw members may be over-molded and/or stamped together, wherein the slot of the seal plate is configured to align with a slot or groove on the structural support member such that when the jaw members are in a closed configuration, the knife blade can move longitudinally therein. Because the knife blade, the slot in the structural support member, and slot in the seal plate need to be in almost perfect alignment with each other, machining tolerances during the manufacture process must be kept at a minimum. Thus, manufacturing conventional end-effector assemblies is generally time-consuming and requires a multi-step process, which, in turn, may lead to increased cost to the manufacturer.